


Hey There Delilah

by JenniM777



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Blood, Brief character mentions Coran Allura Pidge Hunk and Romelle, Domestic klance, Established relationship Klance, Established relationship Shiro/Curtis, Kosmo - Freeform, M/M, Married Klance, Married Shiro/Curtis, Mentions of Child Slaves, Mentions of Slave Labor, Minor Character Death, Violence, minor violence to a child, questionable character behavior
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2019-08-19
Packaged: 2020-07-09 20:50:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19894156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JenniM777/pseuds/JenniM777
Summary: Keith and his fellow Blade of Marmora crew discover an abandoned rebel base. What they discover changes their mission, and Keith and Lance's life forever.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Another one shot that I couldn't get out of my head. Does this happen to anyone else when you hear a certain song?  
> Nothing too graphic, just a brief mention of superficial wounds, and in case of triggers, some mention of child slavery. It's only at the beginning. Also there is some mention of death but it's not a major or even a minor character.

“How much longer before you get a break?”

Keith looks at the screen and his heart beats just a bit faster at the sight of blue eyes and a slightly pouty face. He knows that look and he can honestly say he feels the same way. He really, really, really misses his husband. He lets out a big breath and leans back in his chair, “We have several more planets that need assistance before we head back to New Daibazaal for more provisions. Axca will take over from that point and I’ll be able to come home. But it will be another month or so, if not longer.”

Keith can only watch as Lance seems to deflate against their worn in couch given to them by Lance’s parents, “Babe, that’s so far away.”

Keith reaches forward to touch the screen as if it would allow him to reach through to actually touch his husband. He traces the shape of his face and feels the ache of galaxies of distance between them. His voice is barely a whisper and he’s struggling to keep it together, “I know.”

Keith watches Lance’s fingers reach to touch the screen on his end. His eyes follow their movements and his own fingers twitch and seem to curve inward wanting to intertwine with the soft hands just on the other side of that cold video screen. Their hands meet palm to palm and Keith pretends that he can feel the warmth of those long fingers just under his. His voice is soft and a bit raspy trying to keep his emotions under control, “I miss you.”

Lance’s smile is blinding and he’s so beautiful, but Keith wants nothing more than to wipe away the single tear that falls from Lance’s eye and wrap him in his arms even as Lance whispers back, “I miss you too.”

Before either of them can say anything else, a voice comes over the intercoms for landing protocol at the next planet Keith and his team will be helping with relief efforts. He doesn’t even have to tell Lance that he needs to end their conversation, at this point it’s become part of their temporary routine until Keith returns home. Instead Lance just gives him a watery smile, “Hurry home.”

Keith nods and continues another one of their routines that they’ve started whenever one of them is away, “As fast as a shooting star.”

They both place a finger on the button to end the call but not before they both say, “I love you.”

Keith takes a moment to get his emotions under control before making his way to the main bridge of the ship. When he arrives he finds Ezor frowning at the screen, “Something wrong?”

Ezor taps out a few commands and her frown deepens, “We received the landing protocol but something is off about the transmission. It’s almost as if it’s pre-recorded.”

Keith pulls up a screen of his own and scans the small planet, “Show me.”

Axca pressed the button for the intercoms, “Blade of Marmora relief effort requesting permission to land on planet Nai-Veris.”

“Permission granted. Please proceed to docking bay J57721VR9. Confirm coordinates.”

“Docking bay J57721VR9 not found. Please advise.”

“Thank you for your confirmation. The docking bay is now available.”

Axca turned to Keith, “What are your orders?”

“Zethrid, scan for heat signatures and life forms. Also scan for any hostile threats.”

Zethrid pulled up a report, “I’ve done the scan several times and each scan comes back the same. There is a cluster of what appears to be life forms in this one area but nothing else on this planet. There seems to be minimal foliage and wild life, primitive technology, no weapons that I’ve detected and no other heat signatures.”

Keith enhanced the screen that Zethrid was looking at, “Is there an area that seems safe enough for us to land?”

Zethrid pointed to a flat square of dirt about an acre in size, “This appears to have been a landing strip at one point. It’s near a possible entrance to the building.”

“Take us down. Prepare for hostile threats and keep your eyes open. We don’t want to fire on innocent civilians. Zethrid, you’re with me. Axca and Ezor scout around for another entrance. Keep comms open.”

The building is eerily silent when they enter and Keith has the feeling that it has been abandoned. But there are none of the signs that would suggest such a thing. There are no layers of dust, rooms are filled as if waiting for occupants, and the halls lack the echo of sound bouncing off empty corridors. It’s eerie in an odd sort of way and Keith feels the hair on the back of his neck standing on edge. Zethrid is keeping pace next to him and he almost jumps when she breaks the silence, “This place feels like it’s been recently vacated. Someone knew we were coming and didn’t want us to find them.”

Keith grunted, “Yea but something still doesn’t feel right.”

The comms crackled and Keith can barely pick out Ezor’s voice, “We found a back entrance. We’re closer to where the life forms are gathered than the two of you.”

Keith’s eyes dart around the long hall way and cautiously peers into an empty room, “Keep your eyes peeled and stay safe. We’ll meet you there.”

After several minutes of radio silence between the two teams there’s a loud gasp and Axca’s stunned voice, “Boss, I think you need to see this.”

Before Keith can respond there’s a shriek and the sound of scuffling. Zethrid is off and running, her concern for Ezor overtaking her concern for the mission. Keith takes off behind her and when they finally meet up with Ezor and Axca what he sees makes his gut roll uncomfortably. Axca is kneeling down by what looks like no less than twenty or thirty bodies. Each one shackled at the wrists and ankles from one body to the next. But what catches his attention is Ezor glaring at a small huddled form with wide eyes and a tangled mop of hair. If it weren’t for the sight of teeth being bared and an impressive display of hissing and growling coming from the corner, Keith would have overlooked whatever it was.

“That little demon bit me!”

Ezor’s outburst brought Keith’s attention to her, “Are you hurt?”

His question was ignored as Zethrid looked over Ezor’s small wound. He turned to Axca and noticed her toeing at several of the bodies on the floor. “It looks as if they have only just recently died from their poor living conditions and whoever held them as slaves left.”

Keith noticed there were no gunshot wounds or stab wounds and if their deaths were recent it would explain the heat signatures being picked up as the bodies had not yet gone cold, that and the small huddled form in the far corner. Keith felt his anger flaring up when he realized the majority of the bodies shackled together were children. There were few adults but the majority was children and the size of the only one still alive looked to have been no more than five or six years of age.

“Where is it? I’m gonna kill that demon!”

Keith held out a hand stopping Zethrid from attacking, “It’s just a child!”

Zethrid growled at Keith, “I don’t care what it is, Ezor is hurt!”

“Ezor has a small scratch and _that_ is a frightened child surrounded by dead bodies. Bodies that were probably the only semblance of a family and now that’s gone.”

Keith was a good two feet shorter than Zethrid but he stood his ground. Zethrid huffed at Keith but he knew she wouldn’t go against his orders no matter how much she wanted to. “Take Ezor back to the ship and get her arm treated. Axca and I will take care of everything here.”

Keith felt the familiar buildup of anger in his gut as he took in the bodies of children; the youngest appeared to be no older than four years old and the oldest around fifteen or sixteen. There were only a handful of adults in the group.

Keith felt Axca's stare. His voice came out a bit harsher than he planned, "What?"

Axca frowned at him, "You need to get your temper under control. You're starting to growl and as the loud blue one you're so fond of would say, your Galra is starting to show." 

Keith glared at Axca but tamped down the anger noticing his teeth feeling sharper than normal as he took in the small child in the corner, the one that they were still able to help. It would do no good to frighten them even more if he let his Galra side get out of control.

“The scans show that the child is female and approximately ten earth years in age. She is human and other than severe malnutrition appears to be in good health.”

Keith let out a small sigh of relief, “That makes some of our job easier, but she’s still shackled and I have a strong feeling she’s not going to let us get very close to her.”

Axca let out a small hum and Keith saw the tell-tale flash of a syringe in her hand. He hated this but knew there was probably no other option. He moved around the bodies with the pretense of looking them over, but he knew as soon as he got too close to the comfort zone of the small child she would lash out towards him. Axca pretended to busy herself with her tablet and said nothing while Keith kept making his way towards the child. Sure enough when he was within several feet she lunged for Keith, teeth bared and fingers curled and ready to claw at him. He managed to slip to the side and wrap his arms around her small body just as Axca pressed the syringe to her neck. Even on the verge of unconsciousness she growled at Keith and fought him until the sedative finally pulled her under.

Keith held the small girl as Axca carefully cut through the metal cuffs around her wrists and ankles. He noticed that her clothes were extremely thin and almost thread bare, she had no shoes, her hair was a tangled mess and she was incredibly filthy. Once the cuffs were undone he shifted her against his chest and frowned at how cold her skin felt and for ten years old she was extremely light. He also took note of the blistering wounds where the metal cuffs chaffed at her wrists and ankles, possibly infected.

Once they were back on the ship, Keith handed over the small child to Ezor. It seemed she forgot being bitten when she realized it was just a child and not some wild animal. She took it upon herself to find clean clothes for the child.

Keith nodded at the small girl in Ezor’s arms, “Let me know when she’s awake.”

“Will do boss!”

Keith set a brisk pace down the hallway and when he made it to his room he closed the door and pressed his back to the door and slid to the floor. He sat for a few minutes before standing up and grabbing his tablet and pressing a few numbers in and waited. There was a beep and the sound of a connection being made and then the voice he most desperately wanted to hear at that moment.

“Hey babe! I wasn’t expecting your call for a few more…..Keith?”

Keith took a shuddering breath and pressed his hand against the screen. His voice was a ragged yet relieved whisper, “Hi.”

Lance’s face scrunched with worry, “Hey, aw babe don’t cry. What’s wrong? What happened?”

“I just really needed to hear your voice, to see you.”

Keith watched as Lance stopped whatever it was he had been doing, “Ok. What do you need me to do?”

Keith scrubbed at his eyes trying to stop the flow of tears, “Just talk to me, anything. I don’t care what it’s about, just distract me.”

Keith took deep breaths while Lance talked. He told him about Allura coming to visit, he read the postcard Shiro and Curtis had sent, he rambled about Pidge and Hunk, and when he ran out of things to talk about he sang.

_Hey there Delilah, what’s it like in New York City?_

_I’m a thousand miles away but girl, tonight you look so pretty, yes you do_

_Times Square can’t shine as bright as you, I swear it’s true_

“Thank you.”

Lance gave him a soft smile, “You don’t have to thank me. You know that.”

Keith leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling for a few minutes before sitting forward again, “No, I really think I did this time.”

Lance tilted his head, “You ready to talk about it?”

And so Keith told him everything, the deserted planet, the slaves that were mostly children and the one small child found alive and far too small to be the age that the scanners indicated.

Lance hummed thoughtfully, “What are you going to do with her?”

Keith fiddled with something on his desk while he talked, “Probably see if one of the other planets we stop at can take her in or try and bring her back to Earth. But I’m pretty sure her parents may have been included in the few adults in that group.”

There was a loud commotion just outside of Keith’s door and then the sound of yelling. Keith looked back at Lance on the video screen to see the same confusion on his face when there was a loud scream. Keith jumped up, “I gotta go. I love you.”

Keith ran from his room and followed the sound of the screams and found Zethrid holding a squirming mass of stick thin arms and legs, sandy blonde hair whipping in every direction, and in between the screams Keith could only determine it was supposed to be a growl. Keith’s first impression was that she was like a tiny feral kitten but she had the disposition of a wounded tiger. “Let her go Zethrid.”

Zethrid struggled to hold the tiny mass of wiggling limbs and avoid getting bitten, “You sure boss?”

Keith nodded, “She’s just scared. Let her go.”

To her credit instead of just dropping the child Zethrid set her down on her feet and watched as she ran in search of a possible hiding place. Keith followed at a normal pace knowing there wasn’t much she could get into on their small ship. He finally found her in a room that was used for mostly storage half hidden behind some boxes. He didn’t try to force her from her spot; instead he sat on the floor several feet away from her but not blocking her path to the only exit. She bared her teeth at him and again Keith was reminded of a feral kitten, all spit and fire but not much of a threat. He was able to take in the raw wounds on her wrists and ankles and the thinness of her arms and legs. An attempt had been made to clean her and untangle her hair but without a proper bath it would be a lost cause. He heard footsteps that stopped in the doorway and without looking back he asked, “Do you know if she’s had any food since waking up?”

Ezor let out a huff, “She woke up and immediately started screaming and took off running before Zethrid caught her. That’s when you showed up.”

Keith hummed, “Can you find some healing salve that would work on her wrists and ankles? Also see if the kitchen has some soup and fresh bread.”

“Sure thing boss.”

Once Ezor left Keith set his full attention back on the small child. She was watching him the entire time with ever observant eyes. He shifted a bit to lean against a wall and the sudden movement had the girl backing up and letting out a hiss. Keith just watched her, “I have a feeling you can understand what we’re saying. I don’t know what happened to you but we’re not going to hurt you.”

Ezor came back with the requested items and left Keith and their small passenger alone again. He picked up the jar of healing salve and held it out, “This is for your wrists and ankles.”

He wasn’t expecting her to take it and when she tried to back away he leaned a bit forward and set the jar on the ground near her. She kept her teeth bared at him until he was back against the wall. He reached to the side and grabbed a bowl and poured some of the soup that Ezor had brought into two bowls. He kept one for himself and pushed the other towards her corner. He also broke off a chunk of bread and placed it near the soup. At this point he figured with everything she had been through, a bit of bread on the floor was the least of her concerns. “I’m sure you’re hungry. It’s not much but it’s warm.”

Keith picked up his own bowl of soup and instead of using the spoon provided he held it to his mouth and drank from it that way. As he knew it would hunger won out and small hands grabbed the bowl. She took a small sip and seeing that it wasn’t too hot she drank it down in several gulps. Keith had been smart enough not to put too much knowing if she was as hungry as she looked she would make herself sick from eating too fast. Once the soup was gone she snatched at the chunk of bread. “Do you want more?”

There was no answer but her eyes flicked back and forth to the soup and bread that was still left. Keith leaned forward to grab her bowl when she lunged at him. He backed away unfazed and gave her a look and pointed at her bowl, “If you want more I need your bowl.”

Keith picked up the soup and poured a small amount into his bowl. Out of the corner of his eyes he watched as small hands picked up her bowl and then it was pushed rather forcefully in his direction. He held back a triumphant grin but said nothing as he poured more soup into her bowl and broke off another piece of bread.

So she did understand him after all.

After several more small bowls of soup Keith noticed her eyes getting heavy but she kept jerking to keep from falling asleep. Keith knew it was simply a defense mechanism to keep an eye on her surroundings. He stood up and rummaged around in one the closets. He saw her small head poke around the box she was hiding behind to watch him. He finally found what he was looking for and left the bundle of blankets and pillows where she could reach them, “If you get cold you can use these blankets. I have to check on a few things but you don’t have to stay in this room if you don’t want to.”

Keith got no acknowledgement. He picked up the bowls and headed for the kitchen and left the newest member of his ship to hide for as long as she wanted. He made sure to tell the rest of his crew not to go in the storage room. When he went back to check on her he found several of the boxes and containers in the storage room rearranged and the blankets and pillows moved. If you weren’t looking for her you would never know she was there, she was hidden in a corner with the boxes making a make-shift cave where she was completely hidden. Keith let her be and headed to his own room for the night.

~*~*~*~*~

The next several days Keith developed a new routine. First thing every morning he checked on his newest passenger with a small plate of breakfast for the both of them. He talked and whether or not she listened he didn’t mind. Once breakfast was done he gathered their dishes and headed off for his morning briefings with his crew. He headed back to the storage room with lunch and more talking on his part. Once lunch was done his afternoons were usually spent cataloging supplies needed for planets that needed the help and occasionally they landed and passed out those supplies. When it was time for supper Keith would sometimes bring his tablet and video chat with Lance. He tried occasionally to turn the screen so Lance could catch a glimpse of her but she was quick and most of the time she stayed hidden when she heard Lance’s voice.

It didn’t happen overnight but eventually Keith noticed the pattering of bare feet in the hallways behind him. His crew was good enough to go on about their jobs and not make a fuss over the small girl. She still startled at sudden movements and continued to growl or hiss at anyone she deemed a threat. Most of the crew started talking if they knew she was nearby explaining what they were doing but never stopping and never focusing on her presence. Sometimes Keith would get restless and would take over piloting the ship. Once or twice he noticed a small figure huddled near his chair and wide eyes watching his hands on the controls or staring at the stars through the screen.

Keith was sitting in a small conference room going over a list of supplies for the next planet when his tablet gave a small ding. He picked it up expecting a message from Lance but instead it was a video from Axca. He pressed play and saw a small girl with matted blonde hair growling at Zethrid.

Keith sighed. He had been telling Zethrid for days to quit antagonizing her but what he saw next made him chuckle.

Zethrid was shaking her head, “Come on kid. You keep that up you ain’t gonna scare no one.”

Zethrid curled her lips showing a lot of teeth and growled something deep and guttural.

The video panned back to the little girl and she curled her lip trying to imitate Zethrid. She took a deep breath and puffed out her chest and growled again.

Zethrid laughed, “That was better but keep practicing kid.”

Keith couldn’t stop the laugh when he saw the look of indignation her face as she let out a hiss and stomped away.

He forwarded the video to Lance with a brief message, “Finally proof of our elusive feral kitten.”

Lance of course responded with an overabundance of cat emoji’s with heart eyes.

~*~*~*~*~

Two days later and Keith is sitting in the pilot’s seat when he hears the familiar sound of bare feet but an unusual bit of growling and hissing. He turns and sees a very clean little girl with shiny blonde hair, cheeks that are starting to fill out from regular meals and a pair of vibrant green eyes. Ezor is right behind her with what looks like a brush but the kid is having none of it. Ezor tries to make a pass with the brush and their little spit-fire passenger lunges for Ezor who just laughs and dances out of her way, “Ok I’m done for today.”

She watches as Ezor walks away but for good measure she crams herself into the small space under the ships main controls at Keith’s feet. She glares up at him as if daring him to say something. Keith just shrugs, “What? You look nice.”

She hisses at him and sinks into the tight space. Twenty minutes later she’s slumped against his legs and it’s the first time she’s made any sort of contact with any of them that hasn’t been forced. He lets her stay there long after he’s realized she’s fallen asleep, long after he needs to walk around and stretch his legs, and even longer after the need to use the bathroom has become almost painful.

That night he’s awakened by the sound of his door being opened. He sits up thinking one of his crew is about to inform him of something gone wrong but what he sees is a small shaking form. He turns his lights on the lowest settings and crouches in front of the girl. He wants to reach for her but when he does she backs away. He notices her eyes are wet and there are tear tracks on her cheeks. He stands up and pulls the blanket from his bed and lays it out on the small reclining chair in the corner of his room, “You can stay there if you want.”

He watches as she slowly makes her way under the blanket and curls up in an impossibly small ball. He gets in his bed and reaches to turn off the light when she makes a distressed sound. Keith sees a fear in her eyes that he hasn’t seen before and he gives her a small nod, “I’ll leave it on for you.”

He thinks he may see her slowly relax and he stays awake until he hears her breathing even out.

It’s not the last time she comes into his room when she has a nightmare. In fact she makes her way there one night when Keith is talking with Lance. Keith is sitting up against his headboard when the door opens. She’s trembling more than usual and there are small sobs that she’s trying hard to keep from escaping. Lance to his credit says nothing. Keith knows she won’t let him touch her so he moves over and pats the bed next to him, “Do you want to come listen to Lance talk about his cow?”

She doesn’t give any indication that she knows what a cow is but she slowly makes her way to the bed and climbs up. She sits close enough to see the video screen but not close enough to touch Keith. Instead of finishing his story about Kaltenecker he smiles one of his blinding smiles at the little girl next to Keith, “Oh! There was a mama cat that had some kittens and I brought them inside because it was too cold in the barn. You want to see them?”

Keith smiles fondly as Lance doesn’t even wait for an answer. Instead he wanders off and comes back with a small box filled with towels and blankets and five squirming balls of fur. He picks one up that’s a pretty calico. “Shiro and Curtis want this one. I think Curtis already picked out a name for her. He wants to call her Callie. I think it fits.”

While Lance is talking, the small kitten lets out a squeaky mew and Keith hears a small gasp next to him. He looks over and finds the small girl reaching out a tentative finger to the screen. Lance is still jabbering on, “I wish you could touch them. Their fur is so soft.”

He continues picking them up one by one talking about each one and someone or another who wants which kitten. He picks up the last one, a skinny little black kitten with patchy fur and bright green eyes. “This one isn’t getting enough milk from mama kitty for some reason. I’ve had to hand feed her several times, but oooh! Can you hear her? She’s purring. None of the others purr yet but she purrs so loud!”

Lance holds the small kitten to the screen and sure enough Keith can hear the soft rumbling of kitten purrs as Lance scratches behind her ears. Keith hadn’t noticed but when Lance points it out he can’t help but smile softly, “Looks like your buddy finally lost the battle and fell asleep.”

She’s slumped against Keith and it’s the first time he’s seen anything resembling a smile on her face. It softens her features and makes her look peaceful. He reaches over and runs a hand through her baby soft hair and misses the sappy look on Lance’s face. Keith falls asleep not long after in the middle of a conversation with Lance.

~*~*~*~*~

Keith has taken to call the little girl Kat. It started when Ezor kept calling her little wildcat. He knows it isn’t her name because every time he uses the name she growls and hisses at him. He just shrugs at her, “If you tell me your real name I wouldn’t have to make up a name for you.”

She doesn’t give in, but Keith notices more and more how she stares at him a bit longer as if she’s debating telling him her name.

She never does.

They have one more stop before they reach New Daibazaal when they hit trouble again. The planet is under Galra invasion and Keith and his small crew are ill equipped to take them on alone. He sends out a distress signal for back up and prays that they don’t get noticed before help arrives. Their luck doesn’t hold out and their ship is spotted. They hold their own for a while before their ship gets boarded by the enemy. Keith’s blade gets knocked from his hand and there’s a muffled scream that stops him. There’s a sinister laugh coming from the Galra behind him and when he turns around his blood freezes.

“I suggest you tell your crew to surrender or your little pet loses her head.”

He hears Zethrid from somewhere behind him, NO! You let her go!”

This only causes the Galra to laugh more. He’s holding Keith’s blade and it’s pressing against the soft skin of Kat’s neck. “I don’t think you’re in any position to tell me what to do.”

Keith clinches his fists, “What do you want?”

Before the Galra can answer several things happen in rapid succession. He watches as Kat’s eyes go impossibly wide and her whole body goes limp. The Galra eases his grip which allows her enough room to bite the arm holding the blade. He drops both her and the blade just as there’s a shuddering boom and the entire ship starts to shake.

Keith lets out a growl and lunges forward for his blade just as two small arms wrap around his neck. With his free hand he grips the small body to him and whispers in her ear, “Hide your eyes, don’t look until I tell you it’s safe.”

He feels it as the small face buries into his neck and he fights with the desire to protect the precious bundle in his arms. The ship continues to shake as it gets bombarded with hit after hit but Keith continues to slice at enemy after enemy. The bridge of the ship is covered with blood and littered with bodies and still more keep coming.

He’s not sure when it happens but somehow help has arrived and his mom and Kolivan are fighting next to him. His strength is starting to fade and he hears a familiar pop and soft fur at his side. He tosses his blade to his mom and grips Kosmo’s fur. Another pop and he’s on a larger ship. The adrenaline leaves him quicker than he expected and he sinks to the floor just barely able to hold on to the trembling body in his arms. Neither of them let go of each other and Keith just whispers soft words in Kat’s ears, “It’s ok. It’s over. You’re safe now. I got you, you’re safe now.”

After all is said and done he can’t find it in himself to let go of the little girl in his arms and it seems she won’t let him go either. He makes his way to Krolia’s room and borrows his mom’s tablet to call Lance. This time when the call connects he doesn’t wait for Lance to speak, “I need you to talk to me. I just need to hear your voice. Please Lance.”

And Lance does just that. He doesn’t question the way both Keith and the young girl trembles from the aftershock of what just happened. Lance watches as Keith paces the small room with Kat in his arms and he talks. He talks about the kittens, about Romelle learning to cook, Coran’s new shop and how well his mustache tonic is doing, and once again when he runs out of things to say he starts to sing. This time Keith is swaying to his husband’s soft voice and sings along with him to comfort the small child in his arms.

_Hey there Delilah, don’t you worry about the distance_

_I’m right there if you get lonely, give this song another listen_

_Close your eyes, listen to my voice, it’s my disguise, I’m by your side_

Keith doesn’t realize what’s happening until he’s being kicked and punched and suddenly his arms are empty and he’s being glared at by a pair of impossibly wide green eyes. And he’s so caught off guard it takes him a minute to realize it’s the first time he’s ever heard her speak as she yells at him, “How do you know that song? What did you do to my mama?”

Lance is just as frozen on the other side of the video feed but he can only watch. Keith kneels down in front of the small girl, “Why would you think I did something to your mama?”

Keith watches as her small hands ball up into fists, “That’s her song she used to sing to me. How do you know it?”

Keith tilts his head in confusion, “Was your mama not with you when we found you?”

He’s caught off guard as her small body comes at him and punches at him. Her fists land but they don’t hurt, “You know she wasn’t there. What did you do to her? How did you steal that song from her? I want my mama back!”

She’s still punching Keith’s chest and yelling at him, tears falling fast and furious from her eyes when a sound from the forgotten tablet and the call with Lance stops her in her tracks. She turns and stares at Lance and the small device in his hand. She lets out a ragged whisper, “What is that?”

Lance holds it up and turns the volume up just a bit, “It’s called an iPod. You can play music. This is a song from Earth, where I’m at right now, from a long time ago.”

Lance stops the song, “Your mama was from Earth wasn’t she?”

“I remember living there before they took us away.”

Lance smiled, “I bet your mama learned that song when she was still on Earth.”

Keith heard a small sniff, “My dad used to sing that song to my mama. She said she liked it so much she named me Delilah and she used to sing it to me all the time.”

Keith reached out wanting to push a long strand of blonde hair from her face but she flinched away from him. Instead of reaching for her again he knelt on the floor in front of her, “Your name is Delilah?”

Another sniff and a small nod.

Keith smiled softly, “That’s a very pretty name. And I’m so very sorry that your mama and dad are no longer with you. I wish I could bring them back because I know how much it hurts to lose your parents, but I promise you no one here on this ship did anything to hurt your parents.”

Delilah’s small face was streaked with tears and her body was trembling with the fading rush of adrenaline, “They took me away from my mama when they took us from home. I never saw her again.”

“What about your dad?”

Delilah shoved a hand across her face smearing snot and tears, “He left us a long time ago. He told my mama he didn’t want no kid.”

Keith felt his heart break at that statement. Growing up in foster homes after his dad died he knew what it was like not to be wanted. He held his arms open and this time instead of backing away Delilah fell against his chest and let out several heartbreaking sobs. Keith sat on the ground gathering her into his lap and rocked her gently back and forth pressing soft kisses to the crown of her head. She eventually cried herself to sleep and Keith held on to her while he recounted the events to Lance.

Lance’s face was scrunched with worry, “Are you ok? Were you hurt?”

Keith shook his head, “No I’m fine. Mom and Kolivan arrived with back up just in time.”

Keith felt his own eyes sliding shut when Lance spoke again, “Babe, you should get some sleep.”

Keith blinked and looked at his husband, “I don’t want to hang up just yet.”

Lance gives Keith one of his softest smiles, “Ok. I won’t hang up but why don’t you get off the floor and put Delilah on the bed.”

Instead of setting Delilah on the bed, Keith sits against a wall with several pillows at his back and keeps Delilah in his arms. Lance doesn’t comment and instead of making Keith talk he just sings softly until both Keith and Delilah are sleeping soundly. Once he hears both of their breaths even out, that’s when Lance ends the call.

~*~*~*~*~

Over the next couple of days Delilah seems to shrink in on herself. She doesn’t growl or hiss at anyone, but she’s become a shell of the fiery little girl she used to be. Keith is worried but he doesn’t know how to help her. Delilah for the most part stays glued to Keith’s side. She doesn’t touch him but she follows him when he has meetings with Krolia and Kolivan. She’s a constant presence when he hands out orders to Axca, Ezor, Zethrid and the rest of his small crew. She still eats but her appetite seems to have diminished slightly. Keith does his best to make her eat, even if it’s only a few bites.

Keith is in another meeting and Delilah is once again close by. She’s taken to sitting under the tables at these meetings near Keith’s chair. Today is no exception.

“We’ve lost all of our remaining supplies and we were unable to assist the planet of Tarok due to the attack.”

Krolia watched as Keith gave a brief summary of the supplies lost. “What about your crew?”

“We were lucky. None of our crew was hurt. We only lost the ship and our supplies.”

Kolivan nodded, “While the loss of supplies is devastating it is minor. It’s good that no one lost their life. That is most important.”

Keith sighed, “But it prolongs the last part of our trip.”

Even though Keith didn’t voice it out loud or complain, everyone knew he was ready to get home to Earth, to Lance.

Axca stood up, “Once we land on New Daibazaal we should be able to procure a new ship. I can take over from there as planned and you can head back to Earth.”

“No, I appreciate the offer but I should see this mission through to the end.”

Krolia placed a hand on Keith’s shoulder, “Sometimes the mission changes. It’s okay to take that time to regroup and decide what’s most important.”

Keith couldn’t help but notice the nod Krolia gave towards Delilah. The truth was he wanted to take Delilah back to Earth, to talk to Lance about keeping her, but it would mean cutting back on these relief missions. And as much as he loved helping the Blade of Marmora with these missions he somehow didn’t think he would miss it very much with Delilah in his and Lance’s life.

Kolivan nodded as well, “We can have you back on Earth in a week’s time. The remainder of the mission will be backed up with two extra squadrons just in case there is trouble.”

Keith couldn’t help but let his shoulders sag in relief. He really was missing Lance and he didn’t have it in him to finish out this mission. Instead he just nodded his head in thanks.

~*~*~*~*~

Keith’s transportation back to Earth was none other than the IGF Atlas. Everyone oohed and ahhed over Delilah. Shiro gave him a knowing smirk and instead of denying it, he just shrugged, “I have to talk to Lance first.”

Curtis just happened to be nearby, “I don’t think Lance will be a problem.”

~*~*~*~*~

With one night left before landing on Earth Keith couldn’t sleep. He was standing on the bridge and pulled up a screen with the Earth’s solar system and stared at the stars. He wasn’t sure how long he stood there staring at the endless black of space not really seeing anything when a shrill voice caught his attention. Just as he reached the door he saw Delilah running down a dimly lit hallway, her bare feet slapping against the cold tile. For the first time in days she collapsed into Keith’s waiting arms. He picked her up and let her wrap her small arms around his neck as she cried. Several heads popped out of nearby rooms to see what the disturbance was, but when they saw Keith with Delilah, most of them went back to their rooms.

Instead of heading back to the bridge, Keith brought Delilah to his room and sat on his bed. Kosmo was curled up at the foot of the bed and Keith sat close enough that Delilah could run her fingers through his thick fur.

Once her sobs died down she looked up at Keith, “My mama isn’t coming back is she?”

Keith carded his fingers through long blonde hair mindful of the tangles, “No sweetheart, I don’t think she is.”

Delilah just nodded and looked down. She stayed pressed against Keith’s chest, her ear resting near his heart. “I don’t have a family anymore.”

Keith couldn’t find it in himself to tell her that he wanted to keep her. He couldn’t get her hopes up if Lance wasn’t on the same page. They both wanted kids but they were only married four months ago and this last month was a bit more hectic than either one of them had been through in quite a while. He wouldn’t blame Lance if he just wanted a bit more time with just the two of them.

Instead he whispered softly the only promise he could make, “Things will work out. No matter what happens, I’ll make sure you’re safe.”

~*~*~*~*~

The moment the Atlas touches down it takes everything in Keith not to rush out the door. When the doors open Keith feels small hands grip the fabric of his uniform. She refuses to let Keith hold her but he can feel her fear as she tries to stay hidden behind his legs. He smiles down at her softly and runs a hand over her soft hair. She looks up at him with big eyes and follows him. Lance has no self-control and Keith can’t help but smile as his husband barrels forward and into his arms. He wraps his arms around Lance and just breathes in everything. He feels the relief of finally being home sink all the way to his bones, his shoulders finally feel relaxed, his breathing becomes easier, his chest feels lighter than it has in days, and he feels complete again. Every day away from Lance just makes him feel a little bit emptier but once he’s back it’s like every piece just falls back into place, just where they were always meant to be. 

Keith is the one to pull away and he reaches a hand behind him and feels the small hand slide into his. “Lance, this is Delilah.”

Lance kneels down and gives Delilah one of his most dazzling smiles. He doesn’t reach for her, but instead he holds out a small package, “It is so nice to meet you Delilah.”

She’s not sure what to do and she looks up at Keith. He just nods to her, “You can take it.”

Her hands shake as she tentatively reaches forward. She slowly opens the package and finds a small woven bracelet inside with a small flower charm. She runs a finger over the flower and looks up at Lance with a confused look.

Lance points to the small purple flower on the charm. “This is called a Dahlia flower. This particular one is actually an Aster. I liked it because the word Dahlia reminded me of your name.”

Keith watches as Delilah nods just a bit and gives Lance the smallest of smiles. Her voice is barely a whisper, “It’s pretty.”

If possible, Lance’s smile gets even brighter. “I am so glad you like it.”

The ride from the Garrison where the Atlas landed to Keith and Lance’s house is almost an hour and in that time Delilah falls asleep to the soft hum of Lance’s car as he drives them home. Once there, Keith scoops Delilah into his arms and makes his way to his and Lance’s bedroom. Lance places a hand on Keith’s arm to stop him, “You can put her in the spare bedroom. I put fresh sheets on the bed and dusted it real good yesterday.”

Keith leans over and places a kiss on Lance’s cheek, “Thank you.”

When he opens the door to the bedroom, what he sees takes his breath away. Not only did Lance dust and change the sheets but he repainted the room a soft lilac color. There’s a small white dresser, a book shelf filled with books, the closet door is slightly ajar but Keith can see clothes spilling out of the closet and an array of shoes tucked away. He turns to face his husband, “Lance, what is all of this?”

Lance shifts a bit from one foot to the other, nervousness clear on his face. “The first day you told me about her, I just had this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that wouldn’t go away. I know we talked about kids someday in the future, but this just seemed like the right idea. I’m sorry if I overstepped without talking to you.”

Keith surged forward, a careful grip on Delilah still asleep in his arms. He crashed his lips to Lance’s. “God I love you so much.”

Lance let out a soft chuckle, “So you’re not mad that I went a bit overboard and bought all sorts of things for a kid that I wasn’t even sure you wanted to keep?”

Keith pressed his lips to Lance’s once again. He pulled back just enough that Lance could feel his lips moving as he spoke, “No. I’m not mad at all that my husband bought all sorts of things for a kid that I was desperate to keep and hoped he would feel the exact same way.”

~*~*~*~*~

**Seven months, fourteen days, and nine hours later:**

Keith is watching as several kids run back and forth from the back yard down the trail that leads to the beach. They are spending a few days in Cuba visiting Lance’s parents and it’s the first time Delilah has been to the beach. She’s been a bit quiet most of the visit, unaccustomed to all the noise from Lance’s large family and she’s currently settled in Keith’s lap. Lance stomps his way from the back porch and yells for all of the kids and grown-ups to gather in the back yard near Keith. Delilah flinches a bit at the unexpected loudness but she grins when Lance winks at her.

Lance’s sister Rachel pinches Lance’s side earning a yelp from him, “What’s with the dramatics Lance?”

Lance is bouncing back and forth and Keith can see the excitement that he can’t contain. Keith is smiling pretty big himself as Lance takes a deep breath, “Keith and I have a special announcement to make.”

Everyone quiets down to listen to what Lance has to say. “So, Keith and I have been given the opportunity to do something we weren’t sure was going to happen so soon. But, we’ve talked about it a lot and we’ve made some adjustments with our work schedules and even though it hasn’t been a year since we’ve been married, we can’t help but feel the timing is right.”

Marco yells from somewhere in the back, “Just get on with the announcement!”

Several people laugh and Lance grins. He turns to kneel down in front of Keith and Delilah. He takes Delilah’s small hands in his, “Keith and I talked to a lot of people to make this work and we’ve had the paperwork for quite some time now but today, we wanted to celebrate not just your birthday but we also wanted to let you know that you are now an official part of our family.”

Keith felt Delilah tense in his arms. She didn’t say anything and Keith was worried that they had done something wrong. He could also see the worry in Lance’s face the longer Delilah stayed quiet. She finally turned to face Keith, “Is it true?”

Keith nodded, “It’s true. I know how sad you were when you told me you didn’t have family anymore and we talked about how much we wanted you in our family that first night we came home.”

A small tear escaped from Delilah’s eyes, “I didn’t think anyone would ever want me ever again.”

Keith pulled Delilah into his arms, “We wanted you. I wanted you from the very first day I saw you.”

Delilah turned and reached for Lance. He pulled her in for a hug even as she kept one arm wrapped around Keith’s neck. Her breath hitched as she buried her face into Lance’s neck, her voice a wobbly whisper, “Thank you.”

Later that night, after staring at the paper that declared her legally adopted by Keith and Lance, Delilah was settled in Lance’s lap for a change and listening to Luis and Marco play their guitars by a large fire on the beach. Keith watched with a soft smile on his face as Lance asked for a special song for his special girl. He felt his heart warm at the sight of his husband and his daughter singing softly together.

_Hey there Delilah, you be good and don’t you miss me._

_Two more years and you’ll be done with school and I’ll be making history like I do_

_You’ll know it’s all because of you, we can do whatever we want to_

_Hey there Delilah, here’s to you, this one’s for you_


	2. Lavender's Blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Delilah has an adventure of her own

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is clearly a continuation and if you haven't read the first part please do. I think this can stand alone but some of the events that occur may make a little more sense.   
> Please note this chapter contains mention of blood, violence, questionable minor character behavior, rough handling of a child, and minor character death. If I have failed to mention something that is a trigger for someone please let me know.

Keith watched with a smile as a small girl with wild blonde curls and muddy bare feet made her way through the tall grass and out towards the pastures. Following in her footsteps was a collection of chickens, goats, kittens, an overgrown hog, a goose with a partial wing aptly named Nemo, several ducklings, Allura’s four space mice, and Kosmo. It was an odd sort of sight, but it had become a regular occurrence during the warm days of summer.

Lance was walking from the barn with a bale of hay and had to stop for the parade of animals. He grinned, “Where are you off to?” Delilah waved the book in her hands at Lance, “We’re gonna have story time with Neck!”

Keith couldn’t help the grin as Lance sputtered, “I told you her name was Kaltenecker! You can’t just change her name like that!”

Delilah turned and glared at Lance, “And I told you I can’t pronounce that big long name! Haven’t you ever heard of a nickname anyway? Don’t you call your sister Ronnie even though she hates it?”

Keith watched the exchange, amusement sparkling in his eyes. Sometimes he thought Delilah did this on purpose just to get under Lance’s skin. He leaned on the fence and watched Lance’s mouth open and close as Delilah turned to walk away. She had clearly won that battle. Score one for the precocious twelve year old.

Lance mumbled under his breath the entire time as he continued bringing out one bale of hay after another for the horses. He finally stopped for a break and took the water bottle Keith had waiting for him and leaned against the top rail of the fence next to his husband. The pair of them looked out into the pasture at the small girl perched atop Kaltenecker’s back. The cow was lying in the field happily munching on something as Delilah stretched out on her back holding out her book and reading. The other animals that had followed were settled around Kaltenecker and listening attentively.

Lance sighed and leaned dramatically against Keith, “Who the hell names a cow ‘Neck’?”

Keith chuckled, his shoulders shaking Lance in the process, “I think you’re just jealous the cow chose Delilah as her new favorite person over you.”

Lance shot up, “How dare you Keith! I thought you were on my side?”

Keith kissed Lance’s temple and brushed a few stray pieces of hay from his hair, “It’s not about sides when it’s true.”

Lance let out a huff but couldn’t deny Keith’s logic. He watched as Kaltenecker stood up and Delilah twisted so she was lying on her stomach and draped over Kaltenecker’s back and idly scratching behind her ears. As if on cue all the other animals stood up and followed behind to wherever Kaltenecker decided to take Delilah. “She has every one of those animals wrapped around her pinky doesn’t she?”

Keith let out a soft hum, “And us too.”

Lance smiled and wrapped his arms around Keith, “And us too.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Are you sure you don’t mind taking Delilah with you?”

Keith cupped Lance’s cheek, “I told you it was fine. Besides, mom is excited to see her again. We’ll be fine. No mission, no other pit stops. It will be just a trip to New Daibazaal for a visit while you help out with your mom.”

Lance let out a sigh, “I know. I just feel bad that it was such short notice.”

Keith rested his hand on the back of Lance’s neck and leaned in to press their foreheads together, “None of that. Your mom needs you and that’s all there is to it. Just give her a hug from both me and Delilah and if you need me we can cut the trip short. Mom will understand.”

Lance wrapped his arms around Keith’s waist, “How did I get so lucky to have such an amazing husband?”

Keith hummed and pressed his lips to Lance, “I like to think I’m the lucky one.”

Before Keith and Lance could get too wrapped up in saying their good-byes, Keith felt a tug on his sleeve. He looked down to see Delilah in her very own tiny Blade uniform given to her by Axca the last time they traveled to New Daibazaal but as always she was without shoes, “Come on already! I’m ready to see Lia!”

Lance raised an eyebrow, “Lia?”

Keith shrugged, “She had trouble saying Krolia and shortened it. Mom likes it.”

Lance let his shoulders droop, “How does this kid get away with shortening everyone’s names like this? If I tried that your mom would kill me.”

Lance pointed at Delilah with a mock glare, “No more short names!”

Delilah stuck her tongue out at Lance with a giggle and pulled at Keith again, “Come on Keith. Ezor and Zethrid promised to show me how to play Gronks and I really wanna beat them.”

Keith let out a snort as he and Lance pulled apart. Lance gave Delilah a frown, “Are you gonna leave without giving me a hug first?”

Delilah grinned and barreled into Lance’s arms. He picked her up as she wrapped her arms and legs around him, “You take care of my mister grumpy pants while you’re gone okay?”

Delilah buried her face in the crook of Lance’s neck and nodded her head. Her voice was muffled but Keith heard her none the less as she squeezed her arms a bit tighter around Lance, “I’m gonna miss you papa.”

It wasn’t often that Delilah would refer to Lance or Keith as anything other than their names but on the rare occasions that she did it reaffirmed to the both of them just how far she had come from being that frightened and abandoned little girl to the thriving twelve year old she was today.

Lance squeezed back and pressed several kisses along Delilah’s cheeks causing her to giggle uncontrollably, “I’m gonna miss you too.”

“Make sure you give Neck a hug before you leave! And tell her I’ll be back soon to read more stories to her!”

Lance rolled his eyes at Keith’s grin but indulged Delilah, “I will most definitely give _Kaltenecker_ a hug for you.”

At that pronouncement, Delilah hopped down from Lance’s arms and made her way to the Atlas with Kosmo at her side. Keith heard her excited squeal when she discovered Romelle and Hunk would be on the trip to New Daibazaal with them. Lance sighed and slumped into Keith’s arms, “She’s gonna miss that damn cow more than she’s gonna miss me isn’t she?”

Keith wrapped his arms around Lance and pressed a kiss to his forehead, “If it makes you feel any better, I’ll miss you more than that damn cow.”

Lance grinned and nuzzled his nose into Keith’s neck, “Aw babe! I knew you were a sap!”

Keith’s voice turned soft as he relished the feel of his husband’s arms around him, “Just for you.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Keith and Delilah’s time on the Atlas was brief. It was only a day with the Shiro and the rest of the crew before they met up with Axca and her crew to take them to New Daibazaal. However, once on board Axca’s ship with the new crew, Keith noticed the shift in Delilah’s behavior, “Are you okay sweetheart?”

Delilah frowned and shrugged. She had become rather withdrawn after the first couple of hours and Keith was concerned. Delilah was usually nonstop chatter when reunited with Axca, Ezor and Zethrid but not this time.

Keith knelt down and took Delilah’s hands in his, “You know you can tell me anything that’s bothering you right?”

Delilah nodded but didn’t offer Keith any explanation to her behavior. Keith was troubled by her silence, “I won’t get mad at you if something upsets you. I want to help you, but I can’t help if I don’t know what’s wrong.”

Delilah looked up at Keith and he was shocked to see her eyes were glassy with unshed tears. Her voice was timid and shaky, “I don’t like the way Tuyr-vek watches me all the time. And he watches you too.”

Keith had his own misgivings about Axca’s new crew but had chalked it up to not knowing them all that well. But to hear Delilah sound so upset really set him on alert. “Has he said anything or tried to hurt you?”

Delilah shook her head, “He just stares and his eyes look mean. I don’t like it.”

Keith pulled Delilah into his arms, “If he ever says anything to you or does anything you don’t like you find me. If you can’t find me then you find Ezor or Axca or Zethrid okay?”

Delilah nodded against Keith’s chest. She didn’t say anymore but Keith could tell she was still uneasy, “You take Kosmo with you, no matter where you go on the ship. You make sure he stays with you until we dock.”

Keith felt his heart constrict at Delilah’s next words, “But who’s gonna stay with you?”

He pressed a kiss to the crown of Delilah’s head, “Don’t you worry about me, I’ll be okay.”

Over the next couple of days Keith kept an eye on Tuyr-vek. He asked Axca about him careful to leave out Delilah’s concerns in case anything got back to Tuyr-vek but she didn’t have anything in his files that would suggest there was anything to be concerned over. None the less Keith asked Zethrid to keep an eye on him whenever Delilah was around. It wouldn’t be until days later once Keith thought they were safe on New Daibazaal that things would come to a head.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The moment Axca’s ship landed, Delilah bounded out the door and ran through the loading dock, “LIA!”

Keith grinned as he watched his mom lift Delilah into her arms and swing her around with a laugh, “You are growing so fast!”

Delilah smiled, “I missed you!”

Krolia set her down and pulled Keith in for a hug, “I’m so glad to see the both of you.”

Keith just grinned, “It’s okay. I know you’re really only glad to see Delilah. She has that effect on everyone.”

The three of them headed off to let Keith and Delilah get settled in after their journey. Even at twelve years old, after so many years of neglect as a slave, Delilah tired out easily and Keith could tell she was starting to lose her energy now that the excitement of seeing Krolia started to wear off. It was a testament to just how tired she was when he offered to carry her and she agreed without complaint. Keith lifted her easily and she rested her head on his shoulder with a contented sigh. After several minutes she was asleep in his arms.

Krolia gave the pair of them a fond smile, “It’s good to see her doing so well.”

Keith nodded, “She still has the occasional nightmare but she’s learning to open up more and more every day.”

They continued to talk about mundane things when Keith finally ventured to ask Krolia about Tuyr-vek. She frowned when Keith told her of Delilah’s concerns, “I checked his files that Axca had on hand and I can’t find anything that would raise a flag. But the fact that Delilah is so wary of him makes me concerned.”

“The name is familiar, but I don’t recall anything that would stand out as a warning either. The only thing that comes to mind is that he holds strongly to the old ways, but most of the Galra here feel the same. It has not been a problem as of yet, but we do keep eyes on those who seem adverse to change.”

Keith nodded and adjusted his hold on Delilah, “Hopefully he won’t cause any problems.”

Krolia placed a hand on Keith’s shoulder, “I will have him under surveillance without his knowledge. I won’t let any harm come to Delilah.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

Delilah was barreling through the hallway, Kosmo at her heels laughing at Krolia’s admonishing tone to stop running inside. She turned her head to see just where Krolia was and as she made the corner she ran head first into someone and landed on her backside. She whipped her head around to see a girl about five or six years older than herself clutching her stomach and trying to get up from the floor.

Delilah scrambled up and helped the girl to her feet, “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to hurt you! I’m sorry!”

The girl, beautiful dark brown skin, even darker than Lance’s just smiled at Delilah, “It’s okay I’m not hurt.”

Delilah frowned clearly not believing the story as she noticed the girl kept rubbing her large belly, “I hurt your stomach.”

It was at that moment that Krolia caught up to Delilah, “There you are. What did I tell you about running?”

Delilah had the good grace to look upset but when she noticed the look Krolia was giving to the stranger Delilah put her hands out, “NO! Don’t punish her! I knocked her down Lia she didn’t do anything wrong! It was me!”

Krolia knelt down to eye level with Delilah, “I wasn’t going to hurt her.”

The girl had backed away just a bit, hand still on her swollen stomach. Her eyes widened in shock as she realized just who she was seeing, “I’m so sorry. I was looking for …..I didn’t mean to intrude, I can just go.”

Krolia stood up and reached out a hand, “You aren’t intruding. Did you need help with something? What is your name?”

The girl looked down shifting on her feet, “My name is Rhee-sah. I was told I might be able to find work here.”

“When is your baby due?”

Delilah looked back and forth between the two and at the mention of the word baby her eyes lit up and she let out a squeal, “You’re gonna have a baby? Is it a boy or a girl?”

Rhee-sah smiled at Delilah’s childlike innocence, “She’s a girl. A very active little girl.”

She then looked up at Krolia, “I’m not sure when I’m due. I seem to be progressing faster than expected but I think I should have another three months before I have her.”

Krolia smiled as well, “I may know of the perfect job for you then.”

Krolia ruffled Delilah’s hair, “Go find your dad and tell him I’ll be along shortly.”

Delilah grinned at Krolia and waved good-bye to Rhee-sah, “Come on Kosmo!”

Several days later Delilah was wandering down the halls of New Daibazaal’s headquarters and looking for Rhee-sah. The pair had become quick friends and Delilah often sat with her while she looked over the book-keeping for Krolia and Kolivan. Delilah held Keith’s tablet in her hand and was tapping away at a game when she heard raised voices.

“I told you not to seek me out.”

“I wasn’t trying to find you Tuyr-vek. I needed money and I came here looking for work.”

There was a hiss and some growling, “I don’t need anyone trying to saddle me together with you and that half-breed you’re carrying.”

Delilah heard a sniffle and what was possibly a sob, “This is your child too. Do you not feel anything for her?”

“That is not my child. My blood-line will not be tainted by half-breeds and humans like that Galra spawn walking around here like he is so much better than I am with my pure blood lineage.”

Before Delilah could think about moving, she heard loud footsteps and found herself face to face with Tuyr-vek. He grabbed her by her face and pushed her against the wall, “What did you hear?”

Delilah’s eyes were wide and tears leaked down her face. She shook her head back and forth rapidly unable to respond with the way Tuyr-vek had his hand clamped around her jaw.

“If I find out you have repeated anything I will dispose of you. Do you understand me you filthy little human?”

Delilah was dropped suddenly and she could only slide to the floor as Tuyr-vek walked away. She flinched when a pair of arms wrapped her in a hug but she relaxed when she realized it was Rhee-sah, “Did he hurt you Delilah?”

Delilah shook her head still too scared to respond.

Rhee-sah sat on the floor and pulled Delilah closer to her side and rocked her back and forth, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know he was here or that he would get so angry. I’m sorry he hurt you.”

Delilah just gripped Rhee-sah’s shirt and let the tears fall as gentle fingers carded through her hair. They sat like that until Delilah was no longer shaking. She stood up and looked at Rhee-sah, “I won’t tell. I don’t want him to hurt you either.”

Rhee-sah placed a hand on Delilah’s cheek as her own tears fell, “I’m so sorry Delilah.”

~*~*~*~*~**~

It turns out Rhee-sah was wrong. She gave birth to a beautiful baby girl that same day instead of three months later as she thought. Only two days later Delilah was sitting in a small room and grinning at the little girl in a small crib next to Rhee-sah’s bed. She had beautiful chocolate brown skin just like Rhee-sah but she had ears like her grandma Krolia that were a pale purple and she had markings on her arms and neck that were the same pale purple. But Delilah’s favorite thing was the pale purple eyes that seemed to be so wide and expressive. They were the same color purple as the lavender fields she had seen just last spring. “Have you thought of a name yet?”

Rhee-sah shook her head, “No, nothing seems right.”

Rhee-sah smiled as she watched Delilah stroke a finger gently down her cheek, “I’m not too worried about it though. The right name will come to me.”

Delilah turned to look at Rhee-sah, “What about your family? Did they have some ideas about a name?”

Rhee-sah frowned, “I don’t have any family.”

Delilah blinked and turned away to face the tiny baby, trying desperately not to let Rhee-sah see her sad eyes. Her voice was barely a whisper, “I’m sorry.”

Rhee-sah tugged lightly on Delilah’s wild curls, “Why are you sorry?”

When Delilah turned around she was trying to not let the tears show, “I know what it’s like not to have any more family.”

Before Rhee-sah can respond they hear the sound of angry footsteps and the door swings open with a bang. Delilah jumps back just as Tuyr-vek stalks forward and slings an arm out knocking the crib with the baby to the floor and grabs Rhee-sah, “Who did you tell?”

Delilah backs up against the wall and watches with wide eyes and tries to grab the wailing baby.

Rhee-sah is grabbing at Tuyr-vek’s hands, “I didn’t say anything.”

Delilah is holding the baby and trying hard to comfort her. She’s never held anything so small before and she’s trying to not capture Tuyr-vek’s attention. It doesn’t work. He turns at a particularly loud cry from the baby and grabs the child causing more crying and wailing, “Is this the half-breed whelp you’re trying to saddle me with?”

Delilah screams and reaches for the baby, “Don’t hurt her!”

Tuyr-vek turns and swings his arm connecting with Delilah’s face. She stumbles back at the pain but rushes forward trying to take the baby from his unyielding grip. As Tuyr-vek lifts his hand to swing at Delilah again, Rhee-sah moves from the bed and grabs his arm preventing him from hitting Delilah. He pushes Rhee-sah away and there’s a loud sound of a knife or a sword being pulled from it’s sheath. Delilah can only stare with wide eyes as Tuyr-vek holds a blade with a symbol like the one Keith has. He’s coming closer and he grabs her neck, “I told you if anyone found out about this I would dispose of you didn’t I.”

Delilah stands firm. She knows she should run, back away from the sharp blade but she doesn’t. She stares down Tuyr-vek, “I didn’t tell.”

Rhee-sah grabs Tuyr-vek’s arm, “She’s just a child Tuyr-vek. She has nothing to do with what’s between us.”

It isn’t until Delilah hears the sound of blade slicing through flesh and the splattering of blood when it hits her just how dire the situation really is. She screams at the sight before her, Rhee-sah clutching at her stomach, blood pooling on the floor and Tuyr-vek’s wild eyes locking back on her. Delilah screams at the sight of her friend staring hopelessly at the blood on her hands.

Rhee-sah looks up and locks eyes with Delilah, tears streaming down her face, “Delilah, run. Take her and run please! Don’t look back, just run.”

Delilah scoops up the baby still crying from the yelling and the fighting. She’s sprinting out the door knowing there’s nothing she can do for Rhee-sah when she hears Tuyr-vek’s growl and the sound of a blade singing through the air and a loud thump. Delilah does her best to stifle a sob and runs through the empty hallway searching for someone, anyone as the sound of Tuyr-vek’s footsteps follow her. She feels a harsh tug of her hair and tightens her hold on the baby in her arms. She manages to break free and turns a corner and sees Keith and Krolia at the far end of the hall and her heart begins to beat faster in anticipation. They haven’t seen her yet when she screams, “DAD!”

Keith turns just as Delilah manages to break free from Tuyr-vek. She’s running as fast as she can and Keith is running to meet her. He grabs her in his arms, “Delilah! What happened?”

She’s trembling and not giving up her hold on the baby in her arms, “He has a blade.”

Keith is running his hands over her arms and cupping her face, “Who has a blade?”

“He killed her. He was going to kill the baby and me.”

Keith’s eyes are darting around but he never lets go of Delilah, “Delilah, baby who was killed? What are you talking about?”

“There was so much blood daddy.”

Keith pulled Delilah against his chest mindful of the small baby in her arms. Kosmo suddenly appeared in front of him and growled at the sound of hurried footsteps. He felt Delilah tense in his arms as the footsteps got louder but what worried him the most was the way her trembling increased and her voice shook, “He found me.”

Keith stood up and maneuvered himself to block Delilah from whoever was sprinting through the halls. He caught movement to his left and saw Krolia, Axca, Ezor and Zethrid taking up flanking positions behind him and further shielding Delilah. He knelt down at eye level with Delilah, “I want you to go with Ezor. She’ll take you someplace safe. Can you do that for me?”

Delilah shook her head, “He’ll kill you too.”

Keith placed a hand on Delilah’s cheek and ran a thumb under her eye, “Do you remember before you came to live with me and Lance, when I told you I would make sure you were safe?”

Delilah nodded. Keith smiled, “I’m going to do that right now but I need you to go with Ezor so I can keep you safe okay?”

Ezor put her hand on Delilah’s shoulder to lead her away but she turned back just as Keith stood up from his kneeling position and pulled his blade from behind his back and turned to face Tuyr-vek.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Keith trudged through quiet hallways, sunlight starting to peek through the windows giving the elaborate headquarters a peaceful atmosphere. It was a stark contrast compared to what he just went through cleaning up the mess left behind by Tuyr-vek. His only thought however was finding Delilah. He couldn’t help but remember her terrified face, the way she clutched protectively at the baby in her arms, and now he was going to have to put back the pieces of her shattered state of mind after witnessing such horrific violence.

He looked at his comms that lit up with a message from Ezor with her location. Keith let out a long sigh and ran his hand through his hair and made his way to Ezor. He was within a few feet of the small room when he heard a small shaky voice singing. He recognized the song from a movie that Delilah and Lance watched for months on end, but it had his heart breaking at just how afraid Delilah sounded.

_Lavender’s green, dilly dilly._

_Lavender’s blue_

_If you love me, dilly dilly_

_I will love you_

_Let the bird’s sing dilly dilly_

_And the lambs play_

_We shall be safe dilly dilly_

_Out of harm’s way_

Keith pushed open the door and saw Ezor standing nearby keeping a watchful eye on Delilah and the small baby in her arms. Delilah was sitting on the floor and rocking gently, tears streaming down her face, fighting to keep her eyes open even though she had clearly been up all night.

Ezor gave him a pointed look, “She won’t let me take the baby, and I haven’t been able to get her to eat or sleep at all.”

Keith placed a hand on Ezor’s shoulder, “That’s ok. You stayed with her, that’s more than enough for me.”

Ezor nodded and left Keith alone with Delilah. He knelt down in front of Delilah and refrained from pulling her into his arms. Instead he tapped her small foot to get her attention. He ached at the way she flinched away from him, “Delilah, it’s okay. You’re safe now. Tuyr-vek is not going to come after you again.”

Delilah stared at Keith but continued to rock back and forth, “Rhee-sah is gone.”

Keith nodded. He wouldn’t lie to her when she already knew the truth.

Delilah sniffed and rested her head gently on the baby’s head shifting her gaze away from Keith, “She told me to run. She knew what he was going to do. I couldn’t help her.”

Keith tentatively reached out to brush a tangled mass of curls from Delilah’s face taking it as a small victory when she didn’t pull away, “You kept her little girl safe, just like she asked you to. You were very brave to do that.”

Keith watched as Delilah’s walls slowly continued to crumble. He knew she was on the verge of breaking down completely when he noticed Krolia next to him. She held a soft blanket in her arms and a bottle and spoke directly to Delilah, “Is it okay if I see if she’ll try to eat?”

Delilah’s eyes darted from Krolia to Keith unsure of giving up the last remaining reminder of her friend. Krolia sat on the ground and wiped a thumb under Delilah’s eye, “I’ll stay right here with her, I promise.”

Delilah finally relented and slowly handed Krolia the baby. Once she no longer had anything to occupy her arms it was as if the full extent of everything that happened hit her. Her voice broke on the only word she was able to get out, “Dad!”

Keith scooped her into his arms and let her tuck her face in the crook of his neck as she sobbed. “You’re safe sweetheart. It’s over, it’s okay. You’re such a brave little girl. I love you so much.”

**Five months, two weeks, and one day later:**

A small girl with wild blonde curls and muddy bare feet held a chubby baby in her arms. She danced around in a field of wild flowers surrounded by a cow, a collection of chickens, goats, kittens, an overgrown hog, a goose with a partial wing aptly named Nemo, several ducklings, Allura’s four space mice, and Kosmo. The baby in her arms had a flower crown and if one looked closely they would notice that her eyes were the same pale purple as her hair. She let out an excited squeal as she was twirled around in her older sister’s arms.

Keith watched as Delilah swayed back and forth and started to sing,

_Lavender’s blue dilly dilly_

_Lavender’s green,_

_When I am king dilly dilly_

_You shall be queen_

_I love to dance dilly dilly_

_I love to sing_

_When I am queen dilly dilly_

_You’ll be my king_

Keith felt his husband wrap an arm around his shoulder and leaned into Lance’s side. He frowned when Lance spoke, “Babe you know I love you right?”

Keith twisted a bit to look Lance in the eye, “I should hope so since we are married.”

Lance just grinned, “Well, just in case you were curious I do love you. But I was thinking.”

Keith snorted, “That’s dangerous.”

Lance didn’t respond to the playful insult. Instead he continued as if Keith hadn’t said anything at all, “No seriously. I love you. And I love both Delilah and Lavender. But next time I want to be the one to find a kid for us to keep. Preferably a boy.”

Keith let his head fall back as a deep laugh made its way out. He cupped Lance’s face and pressed his lips to Lance’s forehead and then his nose. He pulled back and just before capturing his lips in a soft kiss he whispered to his husband, “Anything for you babe.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was only meant to be a one shot. If you've made it this far the ending is kind of open. I don't know if there will be more or not but for now I would like to think this is the end.
> 
> Also the song is Lavender's Blue from the Cinderella movie from 2015

**Author's Note:**

> If you've gotten this far, as always thanks for reading. I love kudos and comments. Even if all you leave is a bunch of exclamation marks it makes me smile!!
> 
> Song: Hey There Delilah by The Plain White T's


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